Oracle to recycle USA-71

Innovative technology will enable Oracle to recycle more than six tons of carbon fiber from USA-71.

Oracle Team USA

Oracle Team USA, winner of the 2013 America’s Cup, collaborating with the Boeing Co. to recycle 7,000 pounds of carbon fiber from the race boat USA-71, originally built for the 2003 America’s Cup.

Plans are to recycle and repurpose the hull and mast material in what will be the largest carbon fiber recycling project in history.

Boeing and Oracle Team USA will be working with the University of Nottingham in the U.K., and Materials Innovation Technologies of Lake City, S.C., a company specializing in repurposing carbon fiber components. The process will employ a technique developed to recycle composite materials from Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The racing yacht’s hull will be cut into manageable sections prior to processing. Boeing and Oracle hope to learn more about the properties of recycled carbon fiber and determine their best potential use, be it in industrial, aerospace, yachting, or consumer products. The companies also hope to reduce their carbon footprint through the use of these recycled materials.